Government's Web

Despite certain evidence to the contrary, yes, state government can do something right. For some examples, turn to the Web. In sites run by the legislature and various state agencies, the Internet's potential for improving citizens' access to government is finally being realized.

Take the legislature. During the General Assembly's just-concluded session North Carolinians -- or someone in Timbuktu -- could visit www.ncga.state.nc.us and examine the text of a bill, chart its path, monitor changes in wording and find out more about the bill's sponsors. Similarly, the measures sponsored by an individual legislator are listed for all to see (and perhaps wonder at).

All this doesn't make some bills any more palatable, but it does make them easier to follow than in the past. The site also lists committees and calendars, and even offers "Homework Assistance" for schoolkids. On the work-yet-to-do side, the search function involving key words in a bill's text isn't very effective.

Over at the State Board of Elections site (www.sboe.state.nc.us), citizens can access campaign finance reports, learn about upcoming elections, verify their own voter registration information (including how often they've voted) and even get some directions from home to the polling place.

Widely available campaign-finance and spending reports help make politicians a little more honest. Now, no longer does a citizen-watchdog have to trek to downtown Raleigh to get the goods.

The state offers other useful Web sites as well, including the DOT's (www.ncdot.org) increasingly numerous traffic cameras and its Traveler Information Management System, and the DMV's easy-to-use forms for license-plate renewals, etc. (www.ncdot.org/dmv).

Nothing will ever stop legislators from voting in bone-headed bills, but citizens are gaining better access to what's going on. You could look it up.